Good evening. It's my great privilege to represent Taiwan in hosting tonight's banquet. First, congratulations to President Chen on the successful inauguration of the Global Forum on New Democracies today. It is a milestone in Taiwan's history. We are honored to have the former presidents of five countries from four different continents here today. Also joining us are NGO representatives from more than 25 countries, who just finished the Community of Democracies' Taipei Roundtable on Democracy in Asia. On this special occasion, political leaders and democratic activists sit together, not because of regional, ethnic, or religious similarities. Rather it is the shared commitment to human rights, democracy and peace that brought us together, and through our joint efforts, we are making these common goals come true. You are really the greatest inspiration to all freedom-loving people.
Among our prestigious guests, 2 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, President De Klerk and President Walesa, were the guests invited by me to attend the 2001 Global Peace Assembly with 4 other Nobel Peace Laureates. Long before that, I have had the privilege to cross path with 4 of the former presidents here with the exception of President Ochirbat. In August 1980, I watched on the small TV in my dark prison cell as President Walesa led the Solidarity labor movement against Soviet Communists in Poland. The image of his courageous and charismatic leadership really inspired me. In 1989, I visited with President Kim in Seoul when he was actively leading the democratization movement for Korea. In 1994, I was invited by South Africa as an election monitor in its first democratic election. I had a chance to attend a press conference held by President de Klerk, who was also a candidate then. On my first overseas trip as the Vice President of Taiwan in 2001, I met President Flores. I hope that I will have a chance in the future to visit Mongolia, the home of Genghis Khan.
Democracy has come a long way. With only 30 democratic countries a century ago, that number has tripled today. Within the last two decades, the number of electoral democracies almost doubled from 66 to 123. According to the 2007 Freedom House survey, 90 countries worldwide are classified as "free," 58 countries are "partly free" and 45 countries are "not free." In terms of population, 46% of the people in the world live in free countries, while 37% in "not free" countries.
Like many others, Taiwan's journey to democratization has not been an easy one. The earliest movement for political liberalization under Japanese colonial rule was interrupted by the Second World War, followed by the repressive rule of the KMT. Under 38 years of martial law and during the White Terror Era, ten thousands of Taiwanese were imprisoned or executed for their real or perceived opposition to the KMT government. Many have lost their freedom in prison; many have lost their families, and many even have lost their lives. But through their sacrifice and perseverance, Taiwan now belongs to the community of democracies and has the highest rating of civil liberties in the Freedom House report. Let us acknowledge some of these freedom fighters here with us tonight. Without their efforts, our democracy would not be possible.
Both President Chen and I also paid a price in that process. President Chen joined the democratization movement as a young lawyer. I started as the founder of the women's movement in Taiwan in 1971, six years before I joined the democratization movement. I firmly believe that gender equality and democracy must go hand-in-hand.
The great turning point of Taiwan's road to democratization is the "Kaohsiung Incident," a peaceful rally for human rights that was violently put down by the repressive regime. I gave a 20-minute speech that night. For that, I was charged with sedition and sentenced to 12 years. In the open trial, 15 courageous lawyers defended 8 accused activists, and the testimonies in the court enlightened the general public and unified the various opposition forces. Later on many wives of political prisoners and defense lawyers ran and were elected for political offices. Eventually, the first opposition party, Democratic Progressive Party, was formed in 1986.
Looking back, no one would have expected that the youngest lawyer of the defense team would pick one of the 2 female defendants to be his running mate in the 2000 presidential election. No one would have expected that they could overturn the KMT regime that suppressed them for decades, opening a new chapter for Taiwan. That lawyer is President Chen, and that defendant is me. For President Chen and I, turning over the old regime means that we must commit ourselves to implement reforms, and more importantly, to improve the lives and dignity of the people.
The five former presidents and President Chen here are all witness and leaders of democratization in their own respective countries. As emerging new democracies in the 21st Century, we are all presented with the difficult tasks of transforming our countries on the inside while confronting the new challenges of globalization on the outside. Without the commitment to implement reforms and to protect human rights, a new democracy may regress back to authoritarian rules. The stake is high for the community of democracies in the battle for the hearts and minds of the people around the world. For those of us who are in power, we must persist in the commitment to protect human rights, to reduce corruption and to improve government.
Further, we must not forget those that still live under authoritarian regimes. The 2007 Freedom House report shows that the number of Free countries have not increased since 1998 and that the world is experiencing "freedom stagnation." There are still 45 "not free" countries in the world: 1 in the Americas, 7 in Central Europe and former Soviet Union, 11 in Asia Pacific, 11 the Middle East/North Africa and 15 in Sub-Saharan Africa. We must work together to breakthrough this freedom stagnation by helping those countries on the way to democracy, not only because democracy is a good idea, but because the world will be a better and safer place for all of us.
In the modern history, no democratic country has waged war against another democracy. The examples of Taiwan and South Korea show that democracy is the best weapon against military expansion and threats. Not so long ago, China passed the Anti-Secession Law legalizing its use of force against Taiwan. Currently, there are more than 1000 missiles on China targeting Taiwan. Most recently, China demonstrated its military capability and ambition by launching a missile to destroy a satellite, ignoring the criticism from the international community and the damages such action poses to the shared space of satellite orbits.
In the shadow of such a large neighbor, nevertheless, Taiwan continues to prosper and grow, achieving remarkable economic progress and becoming the invisible powerhouse of the world's economy. Despite China's attempt to alienate Taiwan, our people continue to participate in numerous humanitarian projects and to engage the international community. These accomplishments are the result of Taiwan's soft power, including: human rights, democracy, peace, love and technological progress. To share Taiwan's soft power with the world, President Chen supported me to found the Democratic Pacific Union in 2005, uniting 28 democratic countries around the Pacific region to promote democracy, peace and prosperity in the Pacific region. The DPU also established the Pacific Congressional Caucus, bringing together parliamentary members from DPU countries to enhance democratic consolidation and improve democratic governance.
As we look across the Taiwan Strait, we hope that one day, the people of China can also enjoy the same freedom and democracy as we do because a democratic China is the key to peace in Asia and a blessing to the world. We hope that the people in China will say: "if Taiwan can, why can't China.”
This forum for new democracies allows us to share our stories of struggle and to learn from each other. We can learn how to deal with past injustices and how to mend the wounds of a nation. We can share our experiences on establishing rules of law and on eliminating deficient institutional legacies.
Let's look around this room, ladies and gentlemen. As we share this meal together, let us share our stories of struggles; let us share our courage and wisdom. On the journey to become mature democracies, we are not alone; we have each other.
Thank you.